• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

App to control my PC's Windows Media Player, including being able to see the library & playlists?

RazzMaTazz

Android Expert
Jan 28, 2011
1,392
498
For MANY years, I've been using Windows Media Player (WMP) to play & manage the music that is stored on my desktop PC. That desktop PC is wired into my home's whole-house-and-patio sound system. When WMP is running on that PC, I'd like to control WMP from my Android 5.0 Galaxy S5, including being able to see & play the library and playlists via WiFi (on the same LAN).

I've tried WMP-Lite but I couldn't get it to work right. I've tried Unified Remote, but it can't view the library. (It just lets you blindly play/pause, skip, etc.) I could use TeamViewer as a remote desktop, but it's torturous to surf a PC screen from my phone.

I can do this VERY nicely with MediaMonkey for Windows & MediaMonkey Remote for Android. I imagine I could also do it with VLC on my PC & a VLC remote for Android. But I'd really like a solution for Windows Media Player, rather than migrating to (and retraining my wife on) a different PC media player.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jojorizn7621
Bummer. I was hesitant to even refer to it, it's one thing to install some remote app on a phone but when it also involves installing third-party software on the computer side that does seem to be a bit much. Anyway, I don't think Windows Media Player has any kind of open API so finding some kind of Android remote control does seem challenging.
Have you given any thought to setting up a NAS? Then WMP and your phone can just access it via your local network.
http://www.howtogeek.com/208030/how-to-set-up-a-nas-network-attached-storage-drive/
 
Upvote 0
Thanks again svim. There needs to be some kind of remote-control-enabling communication software on the PC side so I don't mind installing a lightweight, unobtrusive server on my PC (like that of MediaMonkey Remote) but the Banamalon server was pretty obtrusive (wanting to build and maintain a duplicate media database all the time)... and it didn't work.

I have a DLNA+SAMBA capable NAS (which is a USB-hard-drive on a DD-WRT router), but that doesn't help my particular use-case here...

My kitchen-PC's audio output is distributed (by wire) to stereo systems throughout my house and patio. (Nice for parties.) We usually use Windows Media Player on my kitchen-PC to play music (in the kitchen). Ideally, I'd like to control that music from my phone from anywhere on the premises via WiFi-- even if I'm playing croquet in the backyard. I can do that perfectly if I play music on my kitchen-PC using MediaMonkey's media player for Windows and MediaMonkey Remote for Android on my phone. I just wish that I could do the same for Windows Media Player. (Otherwise I have to hassle syncing my playlists to MediaMonkey or teach my wife to use MediaMonkey instead of Windows Media Player.)

I would imagine that the Windows Media Player is the most commonly used desktop/laptop media player (because it's been built-into Windows since 1991), so it's a bit surprising that there aren't several good remote-control apps for it on Android. But like you said, I guess WMP is just a difficult app for 3rd party apps to access.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: svim
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones